Downfall
by Cheeseburger of Doom
Summary: Sequel to Obsession. Atobe goes to high school -- and everything changes. What will he do without his pride?
1. Part 1

A/N: Remember how I said my Tezuka x Atobe fic "Obsession" was over? Well, I lied. I was lying in bed the other night, and suddenly this idea hit me for some Atobe angst...and I thought...it would fit in so well with Obsession, but I already finished Obsession! And so, the sequel was born! I have to admit...I like this fic. I think it might even be plausible. I hope you enjoy it.

****

Downfall

Atobe Keigo noticed something on his first day of high school. He was no longer a god.

A few heads turned as he walked into his new classroom. He was good looking, and no one there knew him, so he arose some curiosity.

However, those heads that turned to look at him turned away almost immediately. They apparently weren't interested.

Atobe faltered, then. The foundation of Atobe Keigo's world was his ego, and he'd just been given the cold shoulder.

He shook the feeling off, and put it down as a fluke. He would be noticed, and he would gain a following. That was Atobe Keigo's way.

But-- he'd collected his following in elementary school, from a very early age, and he'd built it up even more during middle school. None of those followers were in the same high school as he was. He'd been separated from the crowd, due to very high marks and a scholarship. Atobe Keigo was their leader, and of course, their leader got only the best, when it came to school and everything else.

He was all alone...

Atobe suppressed a sudden urge to shiver, and told himself that by lunch, he would have the entire school at his feet again.

He was Atobe Keigo, after all.

~~~~~

Atobe rode the bus home alone for the first time in years. 

No, for the first time ever. 

He stared out the window at the world passing him by, and felt a horrible feeling build in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he had never felt before. He realized that it was loneliness. Loneliness, and fear.

He was sure that he would regain his status in this high school. But what if he didn't? What then?

~~~~~

"Hello?"

"Tezuka..." Atobe was a little relieved to hear the familiar voice.

"Atobe?"

"I just called...to ask how your first day was."

"Fine."

Silence.

"Did you have the whole school at your feet?" Tezuka asked. He was not a tease by nature, but when it came to Atobe, sometimes he couldn't help it. Some things had to be said.

There was another silence. That worried Tezuka a little.

"Of course they were all at my feet," came the icy reply. "I am Atobe Keigo."

Tezuka stared at the phone. Atobe had just hung up on him, without even a smug laugh or anything.

They had been seeing each other for months. They were not quite a couple, but there was something between them that neither one could ignore.

Atobe made all the advances. He asked Tezuka on dates, he put his arm around Tezuka when they were at a movie, and he gave Tezuka quick goodnight kisses at the end of a date. Always a quick kiss -- they'd never shared a deeper kiss, not since that one time, when they had been so close to discovering...something.

Discovering something that neither of them understood yet.

Tezuka put up with all of Atobe's advances, and, he had to admit, he actually enjoyed them.

Atobe Keigo was still a cocky bastard, but Tezuka Kunimitsu was close to actually knowing the real Atobe underneath the inflated ego. Probably much closer than anyone else was.

Atobe Keigo was also close to knowing the real Tezuka Kunimitsu, behind the mask of stone. A Tezuka that not even Fuji was able to get close to. 

There was just something about Atobe that made him smile more often than usual...

Tezuka's thoughts had digressed. He was still holding the phone in his hand, and his worry returned. He could tell that Atobe was upset -- but why?

And did he even care?

~~~~~

Atobe Keigo, King of Hyoutei Gakuen, was not used to eating alone, even after eating alone for an entire month.

Everyone one at this school, even the freshmen, had their own cliques already, with no room for Atobe in them.

The really popular boys were all in their last year of high school. They acted all high and mighty, and Atobe despised them with every fibre of his being. Didn't they realize they were taking up his pedestal?

Obviously, they did not.

Oh, what Atobe wouldn't have given for some of his former underlings -- even just one. Kabaji would do nicely.

"Make them all love me," Atobe would say.

"Usu," Kabaji would reply -- and then he would find some way to do it, with his brute strength.

"Hey, you."

Atobe looked up at the people that were blocking his sun. He wondered if they were here to apologize and beg him to order them around.

"This is our spot," one of them said.

Atobe didn't bother to try and tell them how great he was, and how they should love him. He'd tried that several times already, and it never worked. They all laughed at him...or worse, they ignored him completely.

Atobe got up and walked away, without a word. Somehow, the mighty Atobe Keigo had become a nobody.

Atobe Keigo had been worshipped practically since birth. He couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been surrounded by admirers. He'd issued orders because they had wanted him to; he had let them admire him because they wanted to. He'd never asked to be beautiful -- he just was.

But somewhere along the line, he had come to depend on that. He had begun to need the constant attention to survive. Without his followers, Atobe was alone. He was being sucked into an empty void, and he hated it.

~~~~~

Atobe was on a date with Tezuka. Usually that made him happy, but tonight, he was not in the mood. He wasn't in the mood to face Tezuka, knowing that he wasn't a god.

"Atobe?"

Atobe was startled out of his gloom by Tezuka's voice.

"You are very quiet," Tezuka said. Usually Atobe did all the talking for both of them.

Atobe shrugged. "I have nothing to say."

Tezuka gave him a look that was pure Tezuka -- a look that only Tezuka could pull off. A look that pierced right into Atobe's soul.

"Is something wrong?"

Instead of denying it, Atobe snapped. He was angry. He was empty inside. 

Atobe Keigo was left with nothing.

"Do you even care, Tezuka Kunimitsu?" he demanded.

Tezuka did not reply, he merely regarded Atobe with his steady gaze.

"Of course not. No one does." Atobe stalked off into the night. He lifted his hand in a wave, but he never looked back.

"Thanks for the memories, Tezuka-chan. Let's not meet again."

~~~~~

Atobe lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He was crying. For the first time in years, Atobe Keigo had something to cry about.

Atobe Keigo was ruined.

Atobe Keigo was no longer Atobe Keigo -- he was an empty shell. He'd been sucked into the empty void.

Atobe Keigo was crying...

And no one cared.

~~~~~


	2. Part 2

A/N: I feel so special when I read... "I love the way you write Atobe" ... Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and here is the next chapter! How is Atobe going to deal? What's Tezuka going to do? Will Atobe start to be mega-OOC? (yes -- but I hope I made it seem plausible) 

Hope you enjoy! ^_^

Atobe walked through the hallways with his head down, as he usually did, these days. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair was limp and lifeless, and his once perfect body was far too thin.

And he didn't care a bit.

He'd smashed all the mirrors in his room. He saw himself in shattered glass every morning. He looked horrible, no matter what.

Atobe Keigo was not welcome in anyone's clique. Atobe Keigo was not welcome anywhere in his new school.

He did not even make the tennis club.

Without his cheering squad, he faltered. He had lost all of his massive self-confidence. He still had skill, but he failed to show it when he needed to. 

And he did not make the tennis club.

There was no hope for him to regain any of his status, now. No hope for anything.

He hadn't called Tezuka since their last date, a month ago, and Tezuka hadn't bothered to call him.

Of course he hadn't. Atobe had behaved like a jackass. Tezuka would never call him again. Not that Tezuka had ever called him, anyway...Atobe had done all of the calling.

Atobe didn't care anymore.

He was a ruined man. He didn't want to face Tezuka Kunimitsu, who was probably doing just fine at his school. He was probably getting perfect grades as always, he was probably a key member in the tennis club, as always...he was probably in complete control of his life, like the independent person he was.

Tezuka Kunimitsu did not need Atobe Keigo.

~~~~~

Atobe's grades were slipping. It should have worried him. He'd worked hard to get into this school. It should have worried him, but Atobe did not care about anything anymore. Not a thing.

It had been three months, and Tezuka never called him. Not once.

~~~~~

It had been six months, and Tezuka never called him. Not once.

~~~~~

Atobe took up smoking. It was comforting to think that he was inhaling toxic chemicals into his system. Maybe he looked cool smoking. Some people did. Maybe it would make him popular again. Maybe he would die of lung cancer one day.

Would he be forgotten?

Probably.

Atobe Keigo was no longer a god. His former followers had forgotten his existence. Without him around to remind them of his greatness, they forgot about him. They all had their own lives, and were too busy to take time out to find Atobe Keigo and worship him, if he was not right in front of their faces.

His former followers were gone, and he had no new ones to take their place. His former followers were gone...and they had left Atobe on his own to be sucked into the empty void that he now lived in. An empty void he was trying to fill.

Maybe smoking would fill it.

He smoked as many cigarettes as he could at once. One after the other. Light it, puff, puff...Light another, puff, puff...Cough...

Yes. Maybe next he could try something stronger than cigarettes. Something that would make him feel like a god again.

"Atobe?"

Atobe turned his tired and haunted eyes to see Tezuka Kunimitsu staring at him.

Atobe laughed. It was a strange and hollow laugh, devoid of any humor whatsoever. "There's more emotion on your face right now than I have ever seen."

"Atobe, what happened to you?"

Atobe shrugged. "Nothing." He stomped on the butt of his cigarette, and put another to his lips. He lit it, and he puffed, inhaling the beautiful toxic chemicals.

He smirked at Tezuka, a smirk that was nothing like the one that Tezuka knew well.

Atobe was too thin. His hair was hanging limp around his face, and it needed to be cut. He had bags under his eye like none had ever seen. He was far from being as pretty as he had been, once.

Tezuka had not heard from Atobe in an entire year. He'd been worried at first, but then he'd convinced himself that Atobe had found someone else, or had grown tired of Tezuka, and had broken off their odd relationship for that reason. That would have been a very Atobe-like thing to do. Or so he'd thought.

Tezuka had convinced himself that he didn't care, and he'd never bothered to contact Atobe.

Now he realized that had been a mistake. His first instincts had been right. Something was very, very wrong with Atobe.

He'd run into Atobe tonight by accident, in a place they had gone together often. He'd been thinking of Atobe earlier that night. Thinking about the smirk that he couldn't forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"What happened to you, Atobe?" Tezuka asked again.

Atobe snorted. "I lost my ego, and so I lost everything. I got lost in the empty void."

Tezuka did not understand what Atobe was talking about. Lost his ego?

Atobe could see the slight confusion on Tezuka's face. He laughed that creepy, hollow laugh again.

"I am no longer the Atobe Keigo that you knew and despised, Tezuka, so leave me alone." Atobe turned and began to walk away.

Tezuka realized that he had cared all along.

He'd cared that Atobe had coldly dismissed him, on their last date, a year ago.

He'd cared that Atobe had never called him.

He had cared all along, and he still cared.

He cared about Atobe, who was currently leaving him behind.

"Atobe! Wait."

Atobe stopped, but he did not turn around. "No one ever cared. They worshipped me, and praised me, but they abandoned me when it suited them. I was a god, Tezuka Kunimitsu. Now, I am nothing."

Atobe still had a way with words that was nothing short of dramatic, even though he was behaving oddly.

Tezuka thought he understood now, though. Atobe was no longer popular, as he had been. He'd lost his fame and power, and he was left with nothing. Atobe didn't know how to deal with that.

"Atobe --"

"Shut up!" Atobe whirled around to face Tezuka with such fury in his eyes that Tezuka actually backed up a step.

"I don't want to hear your laughter!" Atobe exclaimed. "I don't want to hear it! You must be pleased that you've won yet another game!"

Atobe's words were so hateful that Tezuka could almost physically feel their sting.

"You laughed at me a few times, because you found my attitude funny. It was annoying, but you know what? I liked your laugh, so I put up with it. I knew I had fans that admired me, so I felt that I could do anything, even if you laughed at me. Now...I never want to hear that laugh again! I don't want to hear you laughing at me now that you know I'm nothing!"

Atobe turned and fled.

Tezuka watched him go, his mind whirling. What should he do?

Atobe was caught in the twisting, winding downward spiral of self-hatred -- something that Tezuka had never expected.

Did he really care, though?

The answer was yes. Of course he cared.

Tezuka ran after Atobe. He had to try to help him, since it seemed that no one else would. He had to try to help Atobe Keigo -- who he really cared for.

~~~~~


	3. Part 3

A/N: Ah, here it is...the conclusion of poor Atobe-sama's downfall. I hope Tezuka can comfort the poor boy. I feel bad for putting Atobe through hell...I hope you all enjoy this ending, and I hope you all find Atobe in character, even though he's out of character. (heh, does that even make sense?)

"Atobe."

Atobe was sitting in a park where they had often gone on their random wanderings together, to look at the flowers. They both appreciated beauty.

His face was resting in his knees, and his arms were wrapped around his legs. He formed a pathetic ball of misery.

He didn't bother looking up when he heard Tezuka's voice.

Tezuka sat down beside him. Once more, he asked, "What happened to you?"

"No one knows who I am, and no one wants to. I'm not as beautiful as some people at my school, so no one takes any notice about. I'm all alone, Tezuka."

Tezuka didn't know what to say, especially since Atobe was speaking to him in such a small voice, full of pain and fear, that was very wrong coming from Atobe Keigo.

"I couldn't face you," Atobe continued. "I can't face you, knowing that you are a much better man than me, in all ways, now."

"What?"

"You always beat me when we played tennis. I could accept that. You won against me in the game we played -- you made me fall for you more than I wanted to. There was one thing you couldn't win at though. I had so much more pride than you! I was popular. I was adored."

Atobe was talking at a rapid pace. It sounded like a dam had burst and all his pent up feelings were flowing out.

"Then I lost my pride. So I couldn't face you, knowing that...knowing that you cared as little about me as anyone else...Without my fans, without tennis, I'm nothing. I was a leader, and now I have no one to lead. I can't face you like this, knowing that you're going to laugh at me, and tell me you knew it all along."

Tezuka realized that Atobe was crying. He had lost everything he'd had faith in.

Tezuka could have said that he knew this would happen. He could have said that he'd known Atobe would not be popular forever, and that he should never have thought so highly of himself. Atobe seemed to expect him to say all of that. Tezuka could have said that Atobe should have been prepared for this.

He could have said all that, but he didn't.

Tezuka was cold most of the time, but he was not heartless.

Tezuka Kunimitsu cared about Atobe Keigo -- he could no longer deny that to himself. He had missed Atobe this past year; missed all of the things they used to do together. Missed all the quick goodnight kisses Atobe had given him. He had dreamed of sharing another longer kiss with Atobe -- something with feeling in it, maybe. 

Feeling that it had taken Tezuka a long time to discover that he had.

Tezuka was not really made of stone, after all, even though sometimes he acted that way, and he knew that Atobe was not really a pompous ass, even though he acted that way.

He knew that now more than ever.

Atobe was so startled when he felt Tezuka's arms around him that he stopped crying immediately. He relaxed in the warm embrace, and rested his head against Tezuka's chest.

"Whoever said that I would laugh at you?" Tezuka asked quietly.

Atobe Keigo began to cry yet again. He clutched at Tezuka's shirt, and he cried and cried. Tezuka held him, and stroked his hair. There was a tiny smile on Tezuka Kunimitsu's face. He had missed Atobe Keigo, and he was happy to be with him again.

~~~~~

Tezuka stepped through the door of the restaurant, and spotted his date waiting for him at their usual table. A table he had not been at for more than a year.

Atobe's hair was cut and styled, much the same as it used to be. The bags under his eyes were much smaller, and his former smirk was back in place, although it was not as smug as it had once been. Tezuka suspected that with time, it would restore itself completely. It would be a little annoying when that happened, but Tezuka could tolerate it. It was a part of Atobe Keigo, after all.

Tezuka sat down, and regarded Atobe with his usual cool gaze.

"Nice to see you, Tezuka-chan," Atobe said.

"Don't call me that."

"Fine."

There was silence. And then, they smiled at each other.

"How was school today?" Tezuka asked. 

"You should know. You were there," Atobe replied, "And you are my biggest fan, after all."

"Your new school is not as well-known as the first one you attended," Tezuka said. "Are you sure you want to go there?"

"My new school is completely satisfactory."

"Even if you only have one fan there?"

"One fan is enough for now. He is the best fan I have, after all," Atobe replied. "Besides, I will find myself more, soon. I am a man that people worship -- because I deserve it. Because in me, they see something they can admire."

Tezuka shook his head. "Your ego..."

Atobe looked down. "Without it, I am nothing." He reached out, and took Tezuka's hand in his. "Without it, I am not your equal, and to face you and win against you, I have to be your equal."

Tezuka's fingers clasped around Atobe's slender, beautiful hand.

"I know," he said.

He knew Atobe Keigo well -- and he cared very much.

Their hands remained where they were through the entire meal.

Afterwards, they walked together, under the stars.

"I think I've won, this time," Atobe said, looking at Tezuka with a real smile on his face.

"Maybe you have," Tezuka replied. He pulled Atobe close to him, and they finally shared another deep kiss. One with feeling.

This time, they were both able to reach and understand that discovery that they had missed before.

When they finally pulled apart, Atobe Keigo, the arrogant peacock, smirked.

"I made you fall for me, didn't I, Tezuka Kunimitsu?"

"Yes."

Atobe tossed his hair. Tezuka did not laugh. Atobe met his gaze. "Are you my biggest fan?"

"Yes." Tezuka's fingers lightly touched the beauty mark under Atobe's eye. Atobe caught those fingers with his own, and he kissed them. The two never looked away from each other.

"You'll fill that empty void, won't you?" Atobe asked, quietly.

Tezuka smiled that rare smile. "Yes."

Because Tezuka Kunimitsu, the man made of stone, cared about Atobe Keigo, the arrogant peacock.

Atobe buried his face in Tezuka's chest, and Tezuka hugged him close.

"I hated being alone," Atobe whispered.

"You're not alone now."

Atobe closed his eyes. Tezuka was different from the rest. Tezuka had seen him at his weakest, and yet he still wanted to hold him like this. Tezuka didn't want to be ordered around. He didn't want to worship Atobe. Tezuka actually cared.

Atobe Keigo was no longer a god, but he was finally happy.

The object of his obsession -- and his affection -- cared about him.

"You know, I'm still _your_ biggest fan, Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"Good."

They shared another kiss, under the stars.

Then, with their arms around each other, they wandered for a while, randomly, perfectly content.

And Tezuka Kunimitsu looked forward to seeing Atobe Keigo in those leather pants again, sometime in the near future.

~owari~


End file.
